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How do you feel about Olympic hockey?

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As a fan, the Olympics are amazing. Best collection of talent actually competing at a high level in a tournament they really want to win.
 
To me this is just another All Star game. Not too crazy about it. Though those Olympics during USSR years was a different thing of course. It was like a well oiled club similar to NHL team, spiced with cold war politics. On the other hand the red army team played against west teams where players were not used to playing with each other and they were amatures. So that took away some value, except that miracle on ice year. That was great winning with just bunch of students.
 
OnlyTruth said:
To me this is just another All Star game. Not too crazy about it. Though those Olympics during USSR years was a different thing of course. It was like a well oiled club similar to NHL team, spiced with cold war politics. On the other hand the red army team played against All Star west teams where players were not used to playing with each other. So that took away some value, except that miracle on ice year. That was great.
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Players actually care about the gold medal. It is definitely not just an all-star game.
 
I have nothing to back this up but it wouldn't surprise me at all if there are a lot of NHL players that care more about winning a Gold than winning the Cup.
 
StaalWars said:
I have nothing to back this up but it wouldn't surprise me at all if there are a lot of NHL players that care more about winning a Gold than winning the Cup.
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You may have a point here. But I think it is more common among the mentality of European players than North American. Hank for example almost destroyed himself in 2006 Olympics to get the gold and then came back injured and was never the same after that.
 
Jersey Girl said:
Just wondering how wrapped up everyone here gets in the whole Olympic thing. Pay attention because it's good hockey...and since the NHL is off there is no other hockey to watch anyway? Crazy USA USA (or whatever country you're from) fan who will die a little inside if they lose? Let's get this over with and back to real (NHL) hockey? Don't really pay attention to hockey because you're more focused on the next Brian Boitano and his risky quadruple axle attempt? Or more focused on Shaun White, probably the best athlete in Sochi?

I know that for most Canadians national team hockey is just one very small notch below life and death...'Murricans, not so much. For the next week and a half most of Canada is riveted to the World Junior Championships, the way we down here are riveted in March to March Madness. There are about 20 people in our entire country who are even aware the World Juniors are taking place, and only around 10-15 of those people actually care who wins.

The Olympics obvious beats the All-Star game by eons...personally I can't even watch one second of an All-Star game. Extremely competitive hockey with the best players on the planet, all playing hard with real checking and everything...what could possibly be bad about that?

I'm glad you asked...Ryan McDonagh can get hurt...Henrik Lundqvist can come back exhausted like he has in prior years, with a turbo NHL schedule and probably some ground to make up in the standings ahead of him (somewhat mitigated by the Cam Talbot phenomenon, as long as that lasts)...Rich Nash can catch yet another elbow to the head...Ryan Callahan can try to do too much too soon...and on and on.

For me, the Rangers competing for the Stanley Cup trumps the USA winning Olympic gold by about 80 bazillion miles. There is no comparison. So I secretly hope no Rangers get selected for the Olympics, the rest of the league tires themselves out, and our boys hit March at full speed. Not going to happen, I know, but if I were Queen...

I was at MSG when I was young at a Canada Cup game between the USA and Russia - USA, USA chants everywhere, and then one of the Hatchers crushed a Russian into the boards, the Russian player laid there, and the place went Lake Placid crazy. Trainers on the ice, the building still celebrating the lesson the American put on the Russian, until slowly but surely everyone began to realize it was Alexei Kovalev, one of our own, who couldn't get up. The place went silent...then, when Kovalev finally got to his skates, the loudest 'Let's Go Rangers' chant I'd ever heard rang through the Garden. THAT'S how I feel about international hockey.

That said, one thing I am interested to see is the Russians playing on home ice with a home crowd for a change. Seems like every international game I've ever seen (I don't count those 'World Championships'), the Russians are always playing in Canada or the US. It will be cool to see them with the crowd behind them.

What say you?
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For the most part I agree with all of this.

A lot of posters here never saw the 1980 Olympics when a bunch of mostly American college kids brought home the gold. That is more what I'd prefer. Let those who want to play in the NHL play in the NHL--let those who don't play in the Olympics if they're good enough to represent their respective countries teams.

I'd be fine with a post Stanley Cup (July-August) tournament between the best players of all countries--more or less a World Cup of hockey--every year--maybe not--maybe every other year or every four years.

For me though it all begins and ends with the Rangers--whoever the players and wherever they come from.
 
Rangers Fail said:
McD said in an interview on NHL.com that he'd rather win the Gold than the Cup.
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Yep saw this a few days ago. Kind of surprised...but am not at the same time. Trade him for a player who wants to win the Cup :sarcasm:

Personally, I love the Olympics. I find them extremely entertained and I love rooting for my country. 2010 was awesome with Parise tying it up late. Too bad it ended the way it did. I'm very excited for this years to start up. I'm hoping that this can break Hank out of his slump, because IMO, it's all mental with him right now and he's overthinking everything right now. Hope to see him bounce back.
 
Olympic Hockey has been pretty good but agree with others that the US Olympic teams should be made up of amateurs. That is the way it had always been.

We sent our amateurs to compete against paid professionals and more so than not we came out on top.

I think some folks in the US got mad about losing at basketball. Then they sent the first Dream team and it was all down hill after that. Yay we blew out countries by 50 points USA USA USA.

The Olympics in general is garbage. They have so many non-sports and leisure activities trying to pass themselves off as sports its disgraceful.
 
NYRKindms said:
Olympic Hockey has been pretty good but agree with others that the US Olympic teams should be made up of amateurs. That is the way it had always been.

We sent our amateurs to compete against paid professionals and more so than not we came out on top.

I think some folks in the US got mad about losing at basketball. Then they sent the first Dream team and it was all down hill after that. Yay we blew out countries by 50 points USA USA USA.

The Olympics in general is garbage. They have so many non-sports and leisure activities trying to pass themselves off as sports its disgraceful.
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The Olympics were bought and sold a long time ago, especially when talking about Team USA.
 
NickyFotiu said:
I wish it was all amateurs playing not professionals but I still watch.
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The WC is a place for the second tier. I would like one tournament every few years where each country goes mano-o-mano and we can see how nations stack up.
 
I kinda dislike that it happens in the middle of the year, but there really is no choice. To me, the NHL owes the game of hockey it's participation in the event... for me, that's the end of the conversation.
 
I don't really care for it all that much if I'm being honest. I watch it because I like to see elite talent playing together and against each other, and because I know how much it means to the players we cheer for. At the same time I feel conflicted, because there are some players on the teams I follow that I usually "hate" in the NHL as rivals...

I also don't feel much National pride. I'm 50/50 American (NYC) and Canadian (Montréal) so I watch both teams, but I don't really care which one wins. I perhaps lean a bit towards the Americans as a kind of "underdog" but that's it.
 
I'm completely, anybody but Canada. There the effing headhunters. Why just the other day Laughton tried to injure Draisaitl in a game Canada were in complete control of...of course it's best when USA wins...
 
Olympic hockey is my favorite thing. Really shows how much hockey can shine when the talent pool is elite.

Makes me wish the NHL cut 4 or 6 teams. Too bad they're going to add.
 
Olympics these days became just another world championship. It had lost its original meaning.
 
I always watch it. They could do it like football in the summer Olympics; U-23 team, and augment their squad with three players over the age of 23.
 
Winter Olympics are incredible, in every sport except for that ridiculous biathlon. I have no problem with them taking the two weeks off for this.
 
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